Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Friday, April 17
San Diego at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EDT). Phillies ace Cole Hamels tries to rebound from a shaky start when he faces Chris Young.
STARS
Thursday
— Grady Sizemore, Indians, hit a grand slam and Cleveland ruined the first game at the new Yankee Stadium by beating New York 10-2.
— Lance Berkman, Astros, hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning to help Houston beat Pittsburgh 6-3.
— Cody Ross, Marlins, hit a three-run homer to help Florida beat Atlanta 6-2 and sweep a series at Turner Field for the first time.
ICHIRO: ICHIBAN
Ichiro Suzuki got the 3,086th hit of his career, setting a record for Japanese players, in Seattle’s 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. He broke the mark of Isao Harimoto, who smiled and flashed a thumbs-up sign from the box seats. Ichiro tipped his batting helmet to the cheering home crowd.
ICE COLD
Jake Peavy overcame an three-run homer by Carlos Delgado in the first inning and hung on to help San Diego beat the New York Mets 6-5 Thursday night and take the first series at the Mets’ new ballpark. Afterward, there was no hot water in the visitors’ clubhouse at brand new Citi Field.
NATS WIN! NATS WIN!
The Nationals finally won a game in 2009, thanks to a strong outing by starter Shairon Martis and four homers, including one by Adam Dunn, in Washington’s 8-2 win over Philadelphia on Thursday night.
SPEAKING
“This one is dedicated to Nick and the Hokie Nation.”—The Angels’ Joe Saunders, who allowed just three hits and a run in seven innings to end Seattle’s six-game winning streak with a 5-1 win on Thursday night, two years after a gunman killed 27 students and five faculty members at Saunders’ former school and a little more than a week after teammate Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident.
CLEVELAND vs. NY YANKEES
Cleveland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Cleveland is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
NY Yankees are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing Cleveland
NY Yankees are 18-7 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Cleveland
ST. LOUIS vs. CHI CUBS
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing St. Louis
ATLANTA vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Atlanta's last 13 games on the road
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
FLORIDA vs. WASHINGTON
Florida is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Washington is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Florida
SAN DIEGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
San Diego is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Philadelphia is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home
OAKLAND vs. TORONTO
Oakland is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oakland's last 8 games
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing Oakland
BALTIMORE vs. BOSTON
Baltimore is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Baltimore
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore
MILWAUKEE vs. NY METS
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
NY Mets are 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
CHI WHITE SOX vs. TAMPA BAY
Chi White Sox are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
Tampa Bay is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing Chi White Sox
CINCINNATI vs. HOUSTON
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
KANSAS CITY vs. TEXAS
Kansas City is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games on the road
Texas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas's last 6 games when playing Kansas City
LA ANGELS vs. MINNESOTA
LA Angels are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games on the road
LA Angels are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Angels
COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing Colorado
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
DETROIT vs. SEATTLE
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Seattle is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Seattle's last 12 games when playing Detroit
ARIZONA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Arizona is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing Arizona
Hot Pitchers
-- Zambrano is 1-0, 3.00 in his first two '09 starts.
-- Jurrjens is 2-0, 3.27 in his first two starts. Pirates are 2-0 in Maholm starts this season (1-0, 1.98).
-- Young is 2-0, 2.07 in two starts this season.
-- Bush is 1-0, 3.80 in his last four starts.
-- Haren has 2.07 RA in two starts, but Arizona scored total of one run in the two games and lost both.
-- Reyes is 3-1, 2.45 in his last seven starts.
-- Guthrie is 2-0, 2.25 so far this season.
-- Colon tossed six shutout innings in his '09 debut for the White Sox; he is 5-2, 4.60 in his last eight starts. Rays are 16-5 in Shields' last 21 home starts.
-- Meche is 0-0, 3.21 in his first two '09 starts.
-- Mariners won both Hernandez starts, scoring 14 runs (1-0, 4.15).
Cold Pitchers
-- Walters is making big league debut here; he is 10-4 in 24 AAA starts.
-- Nolasco is 1-1, 7.36 in his first two '09 starts. Lannan is 0-2, 9.00 in his two starts this season.
-- Hamels gave up seven runs in 3.2 IP at Coors Field in his '09 debut.
-- LHernandez has 6.23 RA in his last six starts.
-- Oswalt is 0-2, 6.23 in his first two starts. Cueto is 1-5, 5.03 in his last eight starts.
-- de la Rosa has a 6.18 RA in his last five starts. Wolf is 1-1, 3.65 in his first two starts.
-- Sanchez is 0-3, 13.89 in his last three starts.
-- Chamberlain is 1-1, 5.40 in his last three starts.
-- Outman is 1-2, 4.91 in five major league starts. Purcey is 0-1, 6.17 in his two starts this season.
-- Penny has a 7.78 RA in his last four starts.
-- Harrison has a 7.98 RA in his last three starts.
-- Moseley has a 5.46 RA in his last six starts. Blackburn is 0-1, 6.55 in his first two '09 starts.
-- Verlander has an 11.42 RA in his first two '09 starts.
Hot Teams
-- Cardinals won seven of their last eight games.
-- Marlins won eight of their first nine games.
-- San Diego won six of its last seven games. Phillies won three of their last four games.
-- Cincinnati won three of its last four games. Astros won their last two games, 4-1/6-3.
-- Dodgers won last five games by combined score of 37-10.
-- Cleveland is 3-2 in last five games after an 0-5 start.
-- Toronto won eight of its first eleven games.
-- Orioles won six of first nine games, are 3-0 in series openers.
-- White Sox won four of their last five games.
-- Royals won three of their last four games.
-- Mariners won six of their last seven games. Detroit won four of its last five games.
Cold Teams
-- Cubs lost their last two games, 5-2/7-4.
-- Nationals snapped their seven-game losing streak last night.
-- Braves lost last three games, allowing 21 runs. Pirates lost three of their last four games.
-- Brewers lost four of their last five games. Mets lost five of last seven.
-- Rockies lost three of their last four games.
-- Arizona lost six of its last eight games. Giants lost their last six games in a row, outscored by total of 42-14.
-- Oakland lost four of its last six games.
-- Red Sox lost six of their last eight games.
-- Rays lost five of their last seven games.
-- Rangers lost five of their last six games.
-- Angels are 0-3 this season in game following a win. Twins lost five of their last six games.
Totals
-- Last three St Louis games all went over the total.
-- Three of last four Florida games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 5-0-1 in Philadelphia's last six games.
-- Four of last five Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Six of Reds' last seven games went over the total. Last four Houston games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Dodger games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Arizona games went over the total.
-- Eight of ten Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Oakland games went over the total.
-- Seven of nine Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Seven of nine White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of nine Kansas City games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Minnesota games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Detroit games.
Tips and Trends
San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies
Padres: San Diego will start a pitcher who’s looked perhaps as sharp as any in the majors through two outings. Chris Young gave up two runs over six innings in his season debut, then conceded only an unearned run while striking out seven over seven innings Sunday in a 6-1 win over San Francisco, outpitching Giants ace Tim Lincecum. Young is 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies, including a six-inning, two-run outing in a 4-2 win at Philadelphia on April 30. The Padres come into Philadelphia having won six of their last seven on the season.
The Padres are 3-11 in Young's last 14 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
The Padres are 17-45 in their last 62 games as a road underdog.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 3
Phillies (-165, O/U 8.5): Cole Hamels (elbow tightness) didn’t have his usual velocity as he lasted 3 2-3 innings in his season debut, giving up seven runs and 11 hits. “Cole Hamels doesn’t pitch at 86 mph. He pitches 88, 93. That’s a huge difference,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “That tells me that he’s not quite ready yet.” Hamels won both of his starts against the Padres last season, allowing three runs in 15 1-3 innings. Harry Kalas, the team’s longtime broadcaster who passed away on Monday, is to be honored before Friday’s first pitch. “We have had a lot of distractions and a lot of things going on, and we need to get on with our season,” Manuel said.
Phillies are 26-8 in their last 34 home games.
The Phillies are 16-5 in their last 21 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
Key Injuries - C Carlos Ruiz (oblique) is on the 15-day DL.
PROJECTED SCORE: 4 (UNDER - Total Play of the Day)
Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
White Sox: Bartolo Colon began his second stint with the White Sox by throwing six scoreless innings with three hits and two walks on Friday in an 8-0 victory over Minnesota. “As soon as I left my house driving here, I felt fine,” Colon told the team’s official Web site through a translator. “I felt good. I was excited.” Colon will face the Rays for the first time in two seasons, but has experienced plenty of success against Tampa Bay with a 9-2 record and 3.41 ERA in 17 career starts. At Tropicana Field, he is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in eight starts.
The White Sox are 2-8 in their last 10 games as an underdog.
The Under is 10-2 in the White Sox's last 12 overall.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 3
Rays: (-175, O/U 8.5): The Rays will look to even the series with right-hander James Shields, whose previous meeting with Chicago was a win in the 2008 ALDS. Shields was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three previous career starts against the White Sox, but began Tampa Bay’s run to its first AL pennant by allowing three runs and six hits over 6 1-3 innings. The Rays have scored four runs or fewer in all but three games this season. Evan Longoria, who missed the last two contests due to a death in the family, is expected to return Friday. Carlos Pena has struck out 14 times in 25 career at-bats against Colon.
The Rays are 25-6 in Shields' last 31 starts as a favorite.
The Under is 21-5 in the last 26 meetings in Tampa Bay.
Key Injuries - 3B Evan Longoria (personal) is PROBABLE.
PROJECTED SCORE: 6 (Side Play of the Day)
National League
ST LOUIS at CHICAGO CUBS
WALTERS: STL 56-39 SU in the first half of the season
ZAMBRANO: 8-12 TSR at home against division opponents
FLORIDA at WASHINGTON
NOLASCO: 18-9 TSR when the total is 8.5 to 10
LANNAN: 5-18 TSR when the total is 8.5 to 10
ATLANTA at PITTSBURGH
JURRJENS: ATL 5-15 as a road favorite
MAHOLM: PIT 25-11 UNDER at home after 6 consecutive division games
SAN DIEGO at PHILADELPHIA
YOUNG: 6-0 TSR as an underdog of +150 or more
HAMELS: PHI 39-22 UNDER after having won 3 of their last 4
MILWAUKEE at NY METS
BUSH: 11-34 TSR as a road underdog
HERNANDEZ: NYM 26-10 at home when the money line is +125 to -125
CINCINNATI at HOUSTON
CUETO: CIN 46-65 against right-handed starters
OSWALT: HOU 32-17 after 2+ consecutive wins
COLORADO at LA DODGERS
DE LA ROSA: COL 23-45 after 2+ consecutive road games
WOLF: 17-4 TSR at home in night games
ARIZONA at SAN FRANCISCO
HAREN: ARI 34-47 on the road
SANCHEZ: SF 15-9 after 3+ consecutive overs
American League
CLEVELAND at NY YANKEES
REYES: CLE 26-11 after scoring 10+ runs
CHAMBERLAIN: NYY 70-43 UNDER at home after allowing 9+ runs
OAKLAND at TORONTO
OUTMAN: OAK 41-64 after scoring 2 runs or less
PURCEY: TOR 24-10 after allowing 3 runs or less in 3 straight
BALTIMORE at BOSTON
GUTHRIE: 10-2 OVER against division opponents
PENNY: 32-17 OVER at home when the total is 8.5 to 10
CHI WHITE SOX at TAMPA BAY
COLON: CHW 5-18 on artificial turf
SHIELDS: 14-1 TSR as a home favorite of -150 or more
KANSAS CITY at TEXAS
MECHE: 11-20 TSR AWAY with a money line of -100 to -150
HARRISON: 7-1 TSR as an underdog
LA ANGELS at MINNESOTA
MOSELEY: LAA 27-11 against AL Central opponents
BLACKBURN: MIN 18-6 at home with a money line of -100 to -125
DETROIT at SEATTLE
VERLANDER: 8-0 UNDER AWAY when working of 5 or 6 days rest
HERNANDEZ: SEA 16-32 as a favorite
American League Research
By Indiancowboy
Indians vs. Yankees
Reyes did have a 6 era in his last start, but helped the Tribe pick up its first win and the Tribe are 3-7, including a big win behind the back of Lee yesterday, they face Joba, who got a no-decision in his start against KC the last time out, but he gave up just a long ball to Buck in that game. After the Yankees lost in horrible fashion in their season opener in NY yesterday, today is not a bad day to take the RL imo, or the over. Jaba, had a 4.5era against Cleveland in relief outings previously, so 9 is not all that impossible to reach over imo.
Oakland vs. Toronto
Both pitchers have never faced each other in their career, but Othman is looking to rebound from his 4+era start, as is Purcey who struggled in his last start, and the Jays are hot as their offense has been great as they are 8-3. lean on the Jays and Purcey over Othman, but just hate to lay the juice. Purcey went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs to the Tigers in his last start at home, so this is a nice bounce-back start for him here.
Baltimore vs. Boston
Gurthrie has looked great to start the year at 2-0, he is getting good value at +135 with the O's, Penny has never faced the Orioles but has not done well at Fenway giving up 9 runs when he was in a Marlins uniform in 5 innings, the Os have one of the best offenses in the league with a solid pitcher, a lean on the Orioles with the dog price here.
Whitesox vs. Tampa Bay
I have to be honest, Colon surprised me in his last start, he didn't yield a run as he is 1-0 on the year and didn't even yield a run to the Twins in the 8-0 win, Colon is 9-2 vs. the Rays lifetime and 3-1 in Tropicana Field. TB has started the year a bit rough going 4-6 so far, but throws Shields out there today who pitched great against the Os and rebounded in his last start, he won the opening game in the Divisional series against the Sox in which the Wsox will look for revenge here, and the jury is still out if Colon is really back, a small lean on the over here, but no thanks.
Angels vs. Minnesota
Mosely has never started against Minnesota, but he has a 5+era in 3 releif apperances of more than a total of 3 innings against them, he is throwing strikes which is a positive, the Angels are 4-5 to start the year, Minny is doing worse at 4-7 but throws Blackburn who looks to rebound from a 5.73 era start against the Sox, he is 0-2 with a 3.09 era against the Angels, so I wouldn't be surprised to see an under here as the line resides at 9, of course, that is betting that both of these pitchers have their stuff together for most of the game.
Detroit vs. Seattle
Verlander struggled in his first 2 starts as he has over a 9era as he has not gone deep into games, the "vertigo verlander" theory seems to apply as I wrote an article about him the other week, he currently has a 0-1 record with a 9.35era, the young man needs to be careful and not turn into the Cliff Lee of 2007 who was sent back to the minors, Seattle sends out Felix who is 1-0 with a 4.15 era, he picked up a no-decision against the A's and looks to return form at home, Verlander says he is getting more velocity back on his pitches, we'll see if the young man shows improvement.